1. Field
This invention relates to electrical components and more particularly to potentiometers which vary in electrical resistance.
2. State of the Art
Potentiometers are standard elements of electrical and electronic circuits. They are widely in use today for a variety of purposes including the measurement of mechanical movement. Even though a wide variety of potentiometers are presently available, no potentiometer known to applicant produces a consistently and predictably variable electrical output upon deflection or bending between various configurations.
The use of electrically conductive inks in association with electrical or electronic circuitry is also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,748 (Fulks, et al.) discloses the use of a conductive ink which is pressure sensitive to produce electrical switching signals for a keyboard. However, no flexible or deflectable potentiometer is known which uses electrically conductive ink.